Sharing Is Caring
by iceangelmkx
Summary: Sometimes, a simple gesture can warm even the coldest of hearts. Written for a prompt.


**A/N: I wrote this for a prompt on the kink meme (my first time filling one, too). Here's the prompt that was given;**

_Here in Ireland, coke bottles have messages saying 'Share a coke with Friends/Liam/Alexandra/person's name.' Anyway today I saw one of bottles with the words 'Share a coke with Jack' and I got an idea for a prompt. Coca Cola is still around in the ME era and they're using that idea again. Whilst on the Citadel Grunt sees a bottle with 'Share a coke with Jack' and buys it for Jack whom he has a crush on. Bonus if he's awkward when giving it to her 'I saw this had your name on it so I bought it for you and stuff.' Just want something fluffy (and hopefully romantic) between these two._

* * *

The sounds of footsteps coming down the stairs were heard, catching Jack's attention. Noting how heavy the steps where, she figured that the tank-bred krogan, Grunt, was coming down to see her.

Sitting still on her cot down in her usual hideout in the Normandy, Jack wondered what Grunt wanted. For one thing, the Normandy was currently docked on the Citadel. The last time she checked, almost everyone had left for shore leave. She had been on the Citadel earlier to get some supplies for herself, but with the ship empty, she had returned to take the opportunity to spend time there alone.

Aside from Shepard, Grunt was the only other squad member who she talked to outside of ground missions. Ninety-nine percent of the time, they would be having some sort of contest whether it was about who would eat the most food without falling over (and her biotics had given her the same kind of krogan appetite at times, so that was a plus), who could win in an arm wrestling match, or who could drink the other under the table.

However, they usually held their contests on the crew deck. For Grunt to come down to her hideout when he was supposed to be on shore leave with the others made her both curious and suspicious.

Once Grunt appeared in her sights, Jack narrowed her eyes. "What do you want?" she asked, her voice only slightly hinting her annoyance. To her, it was more of a warning to him that if he tried anything, she wouldn't hold back no matter how cool she usually was with him.

Apparently, Grunt didn't catch her tone. Instead, he seemed to shuffle his feet a little and his blue eyes were focused on the ground. Wait a minute… was Grunt… nervous?

However, she suddenly noticed that his hands were hiding behind his back. Jack felt her fingers twitch and she had it in mind to reach for her pistol underneath her pillow. She grasped for it just in case, but didn't remove her hand from under the pillow. Years of mistrusting others and being betrayed by those she thought wouldn't be like that has trained her to be prepared and to follow her instincts.

When Grunt didn't answer her question right away, Jack nearly growled. "Look, if you're just here to play games, I don't-"

That was when Grunt moved his left hand from behind his back and Jack's own hand tightened on the pistol underneath her pillow. Before she decided to pull the gun out, she got a good look at what was in Grunt's hand.

It was a bottle of Coca-Cola.

If Jack wasn't confused by Grunt's behavior a few moments ago, she was baffled now. Her eyes still stayed narrowed, unsure of what to think of the offer. "What's your game?" she asked.

"There is no game," Grunt assured her. "I, um… saw this had your name on it so I, eh, bought it for you and… stuff…"

With just a brief hesitation, Jack took the bottle in her hand and inspected it for a moment. Turning the bottle, she saw the small message written in white on the red background;

'_Share a coke with Jack._'

She couldn't control her lips from curling into a small, genuine smile, a rarity for her. "Damn… I… don't think anyone's bought anything for me before… um… thanks."

Shit, she was definitely not good with this emotional stuff.

Grunt seemed pleased with himself as a wide grinned appeared on his face. "I'm glad you like it. I, um, got myself a coke, too." He pulled out his right hand from behind his back, showing her his own bottle. "Mind if I, um, join you for a drink?"

Jack shrugged as she moved over on her cot to make enough room for the both of them. She patted the space next to her to encourage him to sit down. "Sure, why not?"

Almost eagerly, Grunt plopped down next to her, his heavy weight causing Jack to bounce a little on the cot for a second, but it stopped just as quickly. In contented silence, they each opened their own bottle and, at the same time, took a sip. Jack realized that this was the first time the two of them were sharing a drink and _not_ having a contest at the same time.

It was nice… very nice.

When she was halfway done with her bottle, Jack turned to the krogan. "Hey Grunt."

Grunt turned to her. "Yeah?"

Another rare smile came upon her face. "You're all right."

Grunt almost seemed to chuckle at that. "Um, thanks. So, um…" She sensed his nervousness again, so she let him speak. "Do you, um, want to go on the Citadel and… do stuff?"

"Nah, I'm fine just staying on the ship," Jack replied. "But, um…" She shrugged. "You're welcome to stick around if you, eh, want to…"

"Sure… now that I think about it, we have the bar upstairs all to ourselves!"

Jack lightly chuckled. "I like the way you think, Grunt."

The whole time since Grunt arrived, Jack had a sneaky feeling that the krogan may have a crush on her. If her instincts were right, it seemed as though Grunt may want something more than just casual, but it was a step that she wasn't ready for yet, not after the hell she's been through.

Maybe one day, given time, that would change.


End file.
